Another close one for Spain! The referee indicates that there is no goal. The Spanish players were asking for VAR, but the ref clearly indicated that his watch with goal-line technology did not vibrate, no goal.

3-3 Portugal v Spain. The last thing the commentator said was 'I don't think Ronaldo can go over the wall from there. He'll have to go through or round' Seconds later Ronaldo goes over the wall. This is as exciting as a World Cup final.

3-3 Portugal v Spain. The last thing the commentator said was 'I don't think Ronaldo can go over the wall from there. He'll have to go through or round' Seconds later Ronaldo goes over the wall. This is as exciting as a World Cup final.

Carlo Ancelotti, as an analyst, called it from the moment the foul was awarded. You don't give out free kicks to Cristiano Ronaldo! Big mistake by Spain, especially by Pique, who knows him well.

Today's GamesEgypt 0-1 UruguaySecond day of World Cup activity! After many rumors, Premier League top-scorer Mohamed Salah stayed in Egyptís bench today, as the coach did not want to risk further injury. Egypt played well defensively, frustrating many goal-scoring opportunities by Uruguay. Mohamed Elshenawy, the goalkeeper, was named Man of the Match for his multiple interventions. On the other hand, Egypt had very little opportunities to score, because they focused too much on the defense. At the end, Uruguay was looking to win it and Egypt was playing not to lose, so the result is fair. The late goal by Jose Maria Gimenez (89í) was a breath of fresh air for Uruguay, which had a lot of trouble passing the Egyptian defense. Luis Suarez did not have a good game at all. We will need to wait and see who goes through the next round.

Morocco 0-1 IranA bad match with very limited squads, in my view. Very few goal-scoring opportunities, not fast paced and very tough, with several fouls committed by both sides. I had predicted a draw and everything indicated that would be the correct guess. At 94í, Moroccan forward Aziz Bouhaddouz scored an own goal (the first in the Cup) after attempting to clear a corner kick, giving Iran their second-ever victory in a World Cup match. Interestingly, this was the fourth goal to be scored after the 90th minute and fourth goal by header, out of the total of seven scored at the end of this match. Amrabat took a painful hit to the head and was knocked out unconscious. His teammates panicked and quickly moved him and slapped him (not exactly protocol for concussions.) Furthermore, the Moroccan medical team did the exact same thing! He was substituted by his brother. I donít see either of these two teams going past the group stage, but in a World Cup, you really never know.

Portugal 3-3 SpainWhat an amazing match! Probably one of the best, if not the best matches we will watch in the entire tournament. Cristiano Ronaldo proved once again why he is one of the best in the world, leading Portugal to victory first, and ultimately the 3-3 tie. Ronaldo scored the 51st hat-trick in World Cup history and became the oldest player to do so. There was a lot of controversy with the Spanish team after the shocking firing of coach Julen Lopetegui, but Spain seemed strong and confident. Iniesta still has it, but he no longer has the speed and skill as before, which is understandable. The match was controversial as well, as it started with a very early penalty awarded to Portugal. Nacho committed the foul, but he later vindicated himself by scoring an insane goal that put Spain in the lead (reminded me of that Maxi Rodriguez goal that kicked Mexico out of the 2006 World Cup! Ouch!) Stunning performance by Ronaldo, I hope he continues at that level, and that his team helps him a little bit too! Ronaldo passed a ball that should've been a goal. Both are strong contenders for champions.

Today's RefsEgypt-Uruguay was a relatively easy match for Bjorn Kuipers, referee from the Netherlands. He only carded one player, and that was at the very last minute of the match. Overall good work. He is a strong candidate for the final, especially considering the Netherlands are not in the tournament.

Morocco-Iran was officiated by Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir, also a candidate for the final. This was a much violent match compared to the past two, in terms of fouls committed. Three players were substituted after injuries, and four yellow cards were given in the match, the highest number so far. He kept the match under control though.

Gianluca Rocchi was in charge of the very difficult Portugal-Spain. The Italian started off with a very early penalty. It was unclear at first sight if it was a good call, but VAR was still not used. The first Spanish goal by Costa also raised controversy since there was an apparent foul on Pepe before scoring. No VAR either. I'll be curious to see in what situation it is actually used. Only two yellow cards given though. Overall good work, but very controversial. Accurate when calling Pique's foul to Cristiano that ended in the third goal. You don't foul Cristiano outside the box! What a terrible mistake.

Today's Facts- Uruguay had not won their World Cup opening match since Mexico 1970, when they defeated Israel by 2-0. And they were minutes away from not breaking this streak!

- Iran became the first team ever to win due to an own goal scored in aggregate. Aziz Bouhaddouz became the third substitute in history to score an own goal. He joins Hungarian Djaka (1986) and Portuguese Petit (2006) in this unfortunate club.

- Cristiano Ronaldo broke all sorts of records today. He became the first Portuguese player to participate in four different World Cups, the fourth player ever to score in four different World Cups (Pele, Seeler and Klose), and scored more than one goal in the same World Cup match for his first time. Finally, Ronaldo also became the first player to score three goals to Spain in the main stage of the World Cup OR Euro. We are witnessing history!

Said my few penneth on Chat thread.......but will comment on Forums as well from now on

Answers? to today's questions posed by Lpez

World Champions.........Spain.........maybe, if they can curb their free kick generosity. Portugal, doubtful, but may make last 4....other teams may not allow them to maximise Ronaldo by gifting free kicks.

Egypt or Uruguay to go through..........Uruguay..........already got a win under their belts, looked much sharper and more skillful than Egypt.

Messi to "Do a Ronaldo" against Iceland? At the risk of underestimating Iceland (an English trait Lol), they are hardly in the same league as Argentina on the world stage, so any repeat of Ronaldo's success, by Messi, should be viewed with that in mind.

France v Australia..........my prediction.........2-0 to France, whom, on paper at least, ought to know too much for the Aussies.

Said my few penneth on Chat thread.......but will comment on Forums as well from now on

Answers? to today's questions posed by Lpez

World Champions.........Spain.........maybe, if they can curb their free kick generosity. Portugal, doubtful, but may make last 4....other teams may not allow them to maximise Ronaldo by gifting free kicks.

Egypt or Uruguay to go through..........Uruguay..........already got a win under their belts, looked much sharper and more skillful than Egypt.

Messi to "Do a Ronaldo" against Iceland? At the risk of underestimating Iceland (an English trait Lol), they are hardly in the same league as Argentina on the world stage, so any repeat of Ronaldo's success, by Messi, should be viewed with that in mind.

France v Australia..........my prediction.........2-0 to France, whom, on paper at least, ought to know too much for the Aussies.

Welcome Ray! A pleasure to have you here, as always. Agreed on the Spanish "free kick generosity." Pique made a huge mistake shoving Ronaldo the way he did.

I also think Argentina and France will win, although Argentina tends to over-rely on Messi, and that can be a key factor.